DIY – Minisliceoffarm

November 7, 2016

Spaghetti squash noodle bowl with Italian meat sauce

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Italian meat sauce ingredients:

1 onion, diced
1 lb ground meat
3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tsp dried Italian seasoning
1 tbs fresh chopped basil
1 tsp fresh chopped thyme
4-5 cups fresh tomato sauce
Salt and pepper to taste

Other ingredients to complete bowl:

How to prep Spaghetti Squash

1 Prepared Spaghetti squash bowl (instructions on how to do that here)
1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 Tbs grated parmigiana reggiano

Italian meat sauce instructions:

In a large pot, saute onions in olive oil over med-high heat until translucent (5-7 minutes)
Add garlic and ground meat and brown until meat is mostly cooked
Stir in seasoning and herbs and add about 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
Add tomato sauce and allow to come to a boil.
Reduce heat and simmer until desired thickness then adjust for salt to taste.

Bowl assembly instructions:

Place your prepared squash bowl on a plate.
Ladle in a few cups of sauce
Top off with Parmigiana reggiano and mozzarella

Enjoy!!!

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November 7, 2016

Preparing spaghetti squash

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What you will need:

One large spaghetti squash
Sharp knife
Kitchen towel
Fork

Instructions:

Wash and dry your spaghetti squash
Place a Kitchen towel on your cutting board and put the squash on it (this is to prevent slipping)
Hold the squash tight and carefully cut off the stem end
Cut the squash length wise to make two oval “bowls”
Scoop out the seeds
Cook 1/2 squash in microwave for 7 min on high then carefully remove (use oven mitts or towel as it will be HOT). *Note* You can also do both halves at the same time in the oven. Put them face down in a glass baking dish with 1/2 inch of water and bake at 400 for 30min.
Using a fork, start combing the “spaghetti” off the inner sides of the bowl until you reach the outside edge and have a full bowl of “noodles” as pictured below.
Top with your favorite sauce (you can find my recipe here) and some yummy cheese to enjoy your spaghetti squash bowl 🙂

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August 26, 2016

Help control the CRAZINESS with Routine Charts for Children

As many of you know I’ve had many fruitful careers that I have loved and learned from. Over the past several years my full time professional role can best be described as “Efficiency Expert” (as well as mom, wife, farm owner and blogger!) . I’ve used many of the techniques I learned on the job in our home and on the farm as well. They have helped streamline activities/chores and help tame the CRAZINESS we call life!

I’ve shared our menu and activity calendar on Facebook last week and got great feedback and questions. I’m still working on creating a free download for you but thought I’d share something a little easier to upload while I’m working on the family calendar uploads!!

Last year we added these three routine charts and they helped tremendously!!!

Morning Routine Chart

The morning routine happens as soon as the kiddos wake up. They are always ready before we have to leave in the morning so we get extra time to chat and have a relaxing drive to school!

After School Routine Chart

The After school routine happens as soon as they get home from school. We have sports and activities some nights after school so we usually substitute the “Play time” section for that activity. This has eliminated the gross lunch containers we used to find in the mornings when packing their lunch. We also know that they are all ready for the morning with a smooth sendoff. A bonus side effect of this routine has been learning personal responsibility and contributing to an organized living space!

Bedtime Routine Chart

The Bedtime routine happens after dinner. Typically they are excited to read a fun new book so they usually do a great job at this checklist to earn it (although we have had to push on some nights – especially when first introduced)!

Hope this helps tame the crazy in your home like it did ours. Please leave comments bellow with your great “how we tamed the crazy” solutions below! We can learn from each other – sharing is caring hahaha 🙂

August 4, 2016

Canning green beans the easy way!

Farmer J is always talking about his mamma’s canned green beans. For him that flavor brings him right back to his childhood. When we started canning we processed ours exactly how she did … I was blown away by how beautiful they were and the delicious fresh flavor!

Here is how to do it:

Wash and snap your green beans.
Raw pack the green beans in sanitized one quart jars.
Add one teaspoon of salt to each jar.
Pour boiling water over the green beans leaving one inch head space.
Remove the bubbles from the jar by running a spatula or butter knife along the inside wall of the jars.
Add sanitized lids and rings then tighten finger tight.
Pressure can the jars 10lbs for 25min. *adjust the weight for your altitude if needed*
Use caution when removing the jars from the pressure canner as they are HOT!
Allow to cool completely before labeling and store in a cool dark place.

Let us know in the comments below if you would like some of our green bean recipes!!

April 14, 2016

My mamma’s banana bread recipe

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Mom always made the BEST banana bread! Every weekend the house smelled amazing and we couldn’t wait to dive into that delicious sweet bread. Here is the recipe:

Ingredients:

2 ¼ cups flour
½ tsp Baking powder
¾ tsp Baking soda
¼ tsp salt
½ tsp Cinnamon
1 ¼ cups sugar
½ cup butter
2 eggs
1 cup mashed banana
½ Tbs vanilla (learn how make your own vanilla here)
¼ cup yogurt (learn how make homemade yogurt here)
Walnuts or pecans (optional)

Crumble Ingredients (optional):

3 Tbs sugar
2 Tbs flour
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 Tbs butter, softened

Instructions:

Preheat oven @ 350
Sift flour and add in baking powder, baking soda and salt
In a separate bowl, combine sugar and butter and mix well
Add eggs to sugar/butter mixture and beat until well incorporated and you get a soft texture
Add yogurt, banana and vanilla to the egg/sugar/butter mixture and mix well to combine.
Slowly add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and beat well to combine.
Pour entire mixture into a greased and floured loaf pan
In a small bowl, mix together crumble ingredients (sugar, flour, cinnamon, and butter) until mixture becomes crumbly (I use a fork to combine)
Sprinkle the crumb mix on top of the loaf
Bake for 25-30 min or until you can insert a toothpick into the center and it comes out clean
Let cool before slicing and enjoy 🙂

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March 2, 2016

Creamy mushroom soup

So many of our favorite recipes call for cream of mushroom soup. This is my version of this soup with an optional adult twist at the end …

Scroll down to the bottom for the instructional video.

*Note* you can make a double batch of this soup and freeze, or dehydrate it for use in other recipes. Make sure to only use one cup of broth for the “condensed” version. Freeze it in large ice cube trays for an easy grab option, every cube is 1oz.

Ingredients:

3 Tbs olive oil
1 medium onion sliced
3 cups sliced mushrooms
3 Tbs butter
3 Tbs flour
2 cups broth or stock (for “condensed” soup only use 1 cup of broth, learn how to make your own here)
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp Italian herbs
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional, I add this for the health benefits)
1/2 tsp turmeric (optional, I add this for the health benefits)
salt and pepper to taste
Your favorite dry red wine (Optional, I add this for the yum benefits)

Instructions:

In a warm pot on med-high heat, saute the onion with a pinch of salt and pepper in olive oil until translucent.
Add mushrooms with another pinch of salt and pepper (we are layering in the flavors, adding a small amount of salt and pepper with every ingredient builds depth of flavor)
When the mushrooms release their juices sprinkle in the herbs and spices. The mushrooms will absorb the juices with the herbs and spices.
When the mushrooms have reabsorbed the juices make a well in the middle of the pot and add the butter and flour.
Whisk the butter and flour together until its well incorporated then whisk in one cup of the broth.
When its well incorporated stir in the last cup of broth. Bring up to a boil while stirring continuously.
Add milk and bring back up to a slow simmer. Reduce heat to medium and stir until the desired consistency is reached (it will thicken the longer it simmers).
Taste for seasoning (Careful it’s HOT). Add if needed.
Ladle the soup into your favorite bowl and drizzle with a little red wine.

February 25, 2016

Bring dinner home again!!

Going out to eat can quickly become a 3-4 night a week event. Whether it’s a quick drive through dinner because of evening activities or a sit down because it’s been a long day, it can easily add up!

A few reasons we only go out on very special occasions …

Financial – We can easily spend on one meal what we would spend on 2 weeks worth of groceries.
Quality of food – When we cook at home we can control every ingredient of our meal and prepare it exactly how we like it.
QUALITY time with family – When we are at a restaurant we are surrounded by noise and interruptions. The kids don’t tell us as much about their day in a public setting with all the other activities around us competing for their attention.
Teaching opportunities – Children can learn some incredible life skills in the home kitchen. Communication, math, reading, self sufficiency, team work … the list goes on and on!

But most of us know all of that already … the real question is HOW can we do it every night?? Over the years we have added a few fun activities to our dinner time routine that have really made it more enjoyable and exciting for us to stay in and eat at home. Here are our tips and tricks on reducing/eliminating restaurant visits:

Sports and activities night

Event nights are crock pot nights. We currently have one day a week that is jam packed full of activities and sports. That night is crock pot night. Sundays (our free day) I prep everything needed for one crock pot night. I have a recurring reminder set on my phone for that busy morning. It alerts me to throw everything into the crock pot and turn it on. When we come home that evening dinner is ready.

Interactive theme nights

Kid’s choice

We have two theme nights every week. The first is a kids choice (big kids aka farmer J, get to pick too.) We take turns choosing a theme for that day on Saturday before we hit the grocery store. We then come up with a fun menu for that night. Some examples are under the sea mermaid night (my daughter picks this one often, so this is usually our sea food night), race car drive-up diner night (burgers/fries), and Tarzan jungle night (finger food without utensils). We find a Pandora station that fits the theme and play it while we prep the food and dinner table.

Italian

We have one Italian night a week. This is a fixed night every week (example every Wednesday). We do this so the kids know exactly what to expect every Wednesday and they look forward to this day every week. On those nights the kids help make pizza, homemade pasta, lasagna, meatballs … anything interactive. The Pandora station for this night is “Italian Traditional Radio”.

Family movie fun night.

Fridays are family movie fun nights. We make appetizers, snacks, and a big bowl of air popped popcorn for dinner. We lay out a picnic blanket and have dinner in front of a movie.

UN-Takeout night
There are lots of foods that are easy to pick up on the way home from work. They are surprisingly just as easy to make at home. Here is an example of Chinese UN-Takeout night Veggie lo mein with homemade noodles (recipe here) and Egg drop soup (recipe here.)

Leftover buffet and surprise soup night

We have one night during the week where we eat up all the leftovers in the refrigerator. We do this by upgrading leftovers, having a leftover buffet (I got this idea from the Money Saving Mom’s book**), and veggie drawer surprise soup. Leftover buffet is when you put all the leftovers on the counter in a buffet line. Everyone gets to put whatever they want on their plate for dinner. Surprise soup is a pot of soup made out of anything in the refrigerator that has a short shelf life. (Example, left over turkey and a bell pepper can be mixed in with beans and tomatoes for a chili or hardy soup) These three significantly reduce food waste. This is also the night I clean out the refrigerator.

**you can also listen to it for free with a 30 day audible trial

Example week of meal themes at home

February 23, 2016

How to cook rice in a blanket!!

Growing up we always LOVED to see a pot wrapped up in a blanket in the dining room … it meant we were going to a party with yummy food!! This method is great if you need to cook your food on your way to a potluck or if you need to run out for a few hours but need food ready when you get home. It will keep your food HOT for up to 3hrs. As an added bonus you are using very little energy.

You can do this with plain rice (adding 1 Tbls of water per cup of rice) or follow my recipe below.
*The full steps are also in the video at the bottom of this post!!* Enjoy 🙂

Ingredients:

4 Tbls Olive oil (light)
1 small onion diced
2 Tbls Orzo
2 Cups white rice (rinsed until water is clear)
3 & 1/4 Cups water
Salt & pepper to taste

You will also need:

Large paper bag
One thin tightly woven blanket (a doubled over sheet will also work)
One thick blanket

Instructions:

Bring pot up to medium low heat and add oil.
Add Onion, salt and pepper and saute on medium heat until translucent.
Turn heat to high and add orzo stirring until it turns golden brown (don’t walk away, this happens quickly)
Have water ready to pour in as soon as orzo gets light brown (it burns quickly so 30 seconds could burn it!)
Bring water to boil (use a small spoon to test water for salt and adjust if needed – be careful it’s hot!)
Add rice and bring back to boil
Cover and put into paper bag, then wrap the bag closed (see video)
Wrap with thin blanket, then the thick blanket
Set aside for at least one hour
Unwrap and fluff rice with fork (Again, being careful it’s HOT!)

February 19, 2016

How to sooth dry peeling lips in the winter!!

Continuing the #DIYBeauty series … I do this on most winter nights before bed. Some nights only steps 1-3 are needed (always follow up with lip balm). Other nights all 7 are a MUST! Hope this helps you too!! Enjoy 🙂

Winter is so harsh on our skin. Dry peeling skin and lips are so hard to control this time of year so it’s a constant battle! Here is one way I’ve been able to control pealing chapped lips.

You will need:

Wash cloth
1 “drop” coconut oil
1 “pinch” sugar

Instructions:

Get the washcloth wet with very warm water and wring out all the excess water.

Hold the warm damp washcloth on your lips for one full minute (this feels so good!!)

Use the wash cloth to wipe away some of the dead skin.

Massage one drop of coconut oil onto the lips (I lightly swipe my ring finger over the solid oil. What melts onto my finger in one swipe is enough for this)

With the oil still on your finger, dip into sugar and massage the “pinch” of sugar onto your lips sloughing away the remaining dead skin.

Wipe off lips with the wash cloth

Follow up with your favorite lip balm (or another “drop” of coconut oil). Note: Don’t skip the re-moisturizing step. It is very important to reintroduce oils back into your lips/skin after exfoliating.

February 15, 2016

Lentil soup and financial security

In early 1990 my father decided to open his own business. It was a small grocery store with a two bedroom apartment on top for us to live in. I didn’t know it back then but our average income was about $400/month. When I found that out as an adult I was blown away!! How could a family of 4 survive on so little?!?! And how did I not know?? Our table was always full of nutritious food. We always had nice warm clothes and a spotless house. We didn’t want for anything … it just didn’t make sense how we could have so much on so little.

Then I really thought about it. Mom was a grocery shopping, coupon clipping, bargain finding queen. Standing at the register with her as a little girl I remember she always paid in cash. She shopped for fresh seasonal ingredients and supplemented lentils and beans for protein a few times a week. She bought whole chickens and showed me how to break them down to the more expensively packaged “boneless skinless” pieces, how to use every part of the chicken for stock/broth, and how that can make several meals. She always cooked and never let a drop go to waste. She would do leftover upgrades and leftover buffets often.

Lentil soup was a big staple in my childhood and as an adult it brings back great comfort on cold winter days. It tastes extra special knowing it was one of the many meals that helped build a strong financial foundation for our family. The recipe below will yield about 10 servings for less than $0.77/serving!!

Here is my mamma’s yummy Lentil soup recipe… Enjoy 🙂

Ingredients:

2 & 1/2 cup red lintels
1 medium onion chopped
2 large carrots shredded
3 Tbls olive oil
1 Tsp cumin
1/4 Tsp cayenne pepper
6 & 1/2 cups of water (or broth … learn how to make it here)
About 1 & 1/2 teaspoon salt (to taste)
Sumac (optional)

Instructions:

Rinse lintels with water and drain (at least twice).
Sauté onion and carrots in olive oil on med-low heat until translucent (not caramelized, about 3-5min).
Stir in lintels and cumin and stir around to bring out the flavors for about 3 min.
Add the water, and cayenne pepper then cook over medium heat for 30 min.
Add the salt to taste (and more water if its too thick) then cook for another 5min.
The soup will be ready to eat at this point.
To make it creamy, a recommended (but optional) step is to purée with an Hand Blender.
To serve, ladle into bowls (optional – sprinkle a little sumac on top for extra flavor)